Shut-off connection



Aug. 20, 1940. L E lan-NER 2,211,759

SHUTOFF CONNECTION Filed D60. 4, 1937 Patented Aug. 20, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT orricE SHUT-OFF CONNECTION Lloyd n rimer, Milwaukee, wis.

Application December 4, 1937, Serial No. 178,028

2 Claims.

My invention relates to dust conducting conduits, and more particularly to folding types thereof.

One object of my invention is to provide an improved hinge joint between two relatively angularly movable material conducting booms.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for shutting off the passage of dust material to a boom when it isin its folded inoperative position, and for automatically opening to permit the passage of the material when the boom is moved into its operative position.

Still another object of my invention is to provide means of the above character which are cheap and easily replaceable.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a. flexible connection between relatively movable booms, which connection is so arranged that it covers the adjacent end of one of the booms as it assumes an angular position with respect to the other.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an improved boom which is adapted to protect the exible connection from cutting and wearing edges when said boom is in its folded position.

In the present embodiment my invention is adapted to devices for applying insecticidal dust over fields. In such devices I have found it convenient to have angularly adjustable booms of the type set out in my copending applications, Serial No. 169,580, filed October 18, 1937, and Serial No. 179,851, filed December 15, 1937. For the reasons set forth in those applications I have found that when in their upright positions the dust continues to pass into these booms and is discharged into the atmosphere ineffectively at a point remote from the foliage. It is to overcome this disadvantage that I have provided the present construction.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawing, in which i Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of an applicator to which my invention is adapted;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the booms;

Fig. 3 is a cross section of the boom hinge joint showing one of the booms in its operative position; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but reduced in size showing the movable boom in its inoperative position.

Fig. 5 is a cross section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3.

It is to be understood that the embodiment shown herein is for illustrative purposes only and may be changed or modied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing, particularly Fig. 1, 5 I0 represents a platform of a truck on which the applicator is mounted, Il a dust hopper, I2 a blower or fan for propelling the dust, I3 a dust conduit connecting the blower to booms M-M and I5; I6 a boom supporting structure mounted l0 over the end of the truck, and I1 elevating cables for raising and lowering the booms Il-Il pivotally about the boom I 5, these cables being drawn up and let out by any suitable mechanism such as Winches I8.

The booms I4-I4 and I5 are suitably mounted on the boom supporting structure as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. As shown herein, channels or beams I 9 extend rearwardly from the truck platform and to these beams uprights 20 and 20a of the boom supporting structure are mounted in a suitable manner. There are two pairs of these uprights, one pair 20a (see Fig. 2) adjacent the platform, and one pair 20 rearward of and in longitudinal alignment with the rst named pair. The bot- 25 toms of these uprights extend below the truck platform and have secured at the lower end thereof cross beams 2| and 25, (channel irons in the present embodiment), the former being located adjacent the rear of the platform and being adapted to support the inner ends of horizontal stays 23 and thus booms I4, against excessive forward and rearward oscillation. The cross beam 24 is the center section of a boom supporting beam having laterally extending sections 25. Dust dispensing booms II and I5 are suitably secured as by welding (see Fig. 5) to the beam sections 24 and 25 to be carried thereby.

In order that the booms Il may be folded for road travel it is necessary that they have a hinged o connection with the center boom I5 and likewise it is necessary in the present embodiment that cross beams 25 have a hinged connection with the center cross beam 24. This is accomplished herein by oisetting the opposed ends of connecting elements 28 as shown at 28a. These elements are suitably secured to the beams 25 as by welding. As will be seen from the drawing, each of the offset portions is apertured. to receive hinge bars 28h about which the booms I4 with their respective channel iron supports pivot. Preferably, the members 28h are so positioned with respect to booms I4 that the ends of the latter, when moved to folded position, are not drawn upwardly.

Under certain circumstances during the use of 55 the applicator it is desirable to take one of the booms I4 out of operation. To accomplish this it is drawn into a vertical position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. As previously stated, it the lower end of this boom remains open after such movement, the dust continues to ilow upwardly thereof and is dispensed high into the air where it is ineiective.

I have provided herein a connection between the boom l5 and booms Il which not only permits this angular movement but also shuts off the ilow of dust to the raised booms. This connection, as disclosed herein, comprises a tube 29 of relatively thin rubber, the ends of which overlap the adjacent ends of the booms. 'I'he tube is secured tightly in place by suitable, easily removable clamp rings 3l, the lugs of which are fastened as by bolts, one of which is shown at 3l in Fig. 3.

The booms are so arranged that as the sections I4 thereof are moved into their vertical position the tubing 2! is drawn over the end of the respective boom Il or the latter are embedded in the tubing, thus shutting olf communication between the section I5 and the respective section Il.

As previously stated, in order to increase the efciency of the closure it is advisable to arrange the hinge bars 28h slightly outwardly and sumciently low with respect to the tube 29 so that the lower end of boom Il assumes a position in the same plane or in-a plane slightly lower than that of the bottom of boom I5 when the former is moved into a vertical position. However, I have found that if the lower edge of the tube i4 assumes a position in a plane with the bottom of boom I5, a generally satisfactory closure is obtained. In the present embodiment, as will be seen in Fig. 3, the hinge bars 2lb are positioned in substantially the same vertical plane as the center line of booms Il-Il and l5.

It will be readily understood that with the constant pivotal action of booms Il and the lower portion of the lower edge thereof will tend to cut or wear the tube 2S as the boom assumes a vertical position. In order to overcome this objection, and also in order to retain the tube 25 securely in place, the lower edge of the end of the booms Il and Il may be rounded, or beaded, as at 32.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a joint for material conducting booms which permits of pivotal movement between the booms, which automatically acts as a shut-oit for the passage of material and thus renders the use of the applicator simple and economical, which is extremely cheap and which is readily replaceable by an inexperienced and inexpert user.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the class described, a sectioned material conducting conduit, the sections of said conduit being relatively pivotally movable, a iiexible connection providing a material conducting joint between s'ad sections, the open end.

of one of said sections being adapted to embed itself in the inner surface of said iiexible connection as it moves pivotally with respect to the adjacent section, and means for pivotally supporting said last named section and maintaining the same about a fixed predetermined pivot point, said point being located removed from the open end of said last named section by a distance equal to or greater than one half of the longest vertical dimension of the open end of said section.

2. In a device of the class described, a sectioned material conducting conduit, the sections of said conduit being relatively pivotally movable, a ilexible connection providing a material conducting joint between said sections, the open end of one of said sections being adapted to embed itself in the inner surface of said flexible connection as it moves pivotally with respect to the adjacent section, and means for pivotally supporting one of said sections and maintaining the same about a iixed predetermined pivot point, said point being located removed from the open end and inwardly of one of said sections by a distance equal to or greater than one-half of the `longest vertical dimension of the open end of said section.

LLOYD E. PITNER. 

